Sometimes the biggest changes are the ones you can't see coming. And that is certainly the case at Rice University's Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology. Inside the labs that line the historic building, there is work that could change the future of energy production, delivery, and consumption. Using the world's largest supply of nanotubes, the scientists working at the institute are hoping to revolutionize the energy "grid" by making it more efficient.

By using the ultramicroscopic tubes, made of carbon and iron, the hope is to create new transmission lines. Those lines would reduce the typical energy loss that occurs when power travels over long distances.

Find out more about the possibilities tonight on Eyewitness News at 6pm.